New Releases Heading Into The Holidays

VIBES

Rapper Reggie Noble is better known as Redman, but the title of his fourth album, due out this week, indicates ``Doc's The Name'' (Def Jam).

Dr. Israel, issues his own new album, ``Inna City Pressure,'' (Mutant Sound System).

Also due Tuesday:

The gambling-related songs of Frank Sinatra are collected on ``Lucky Numbers'' (Reprise), soon to be heard at casinos.

After 14 years, guitarist Steve Vai issues outtakes from his 1984 album ``Flex-able'' on ``Flex-able Leftovers'' (Epic).

He's known for his work in The Jam and the Style Council, but Paul Weller has also issued enough solo work to warrant a third greatest hits album of work he released under his own name, ``Modern Classics''(Island).

Now-disbanded Faith No More covers the Bee Gee's ``I Started a Joke'' and Lionel Richie's ``Easy'' on the collection ``Who Cares a Lot: Greatest Hits''(Reprise).

Thirteen previously unreleased tracks, including a live version of ``Africa'' emerge on Toto's ``XX (1977-1997)''(Columbia/Legacy).

The biggest hitmakers out of Connecticut? A case could be made for The Carpenters, who were born and raised in New Haven before moving to Southern California, where they made their name as the top brother-sister pop act in history. Remastered copies of more than a half dozen of the duo's original albums are being re-released on A & M, the label it helped make rich.

Four albums by the German electronic band D.A.F.are also being released on Mute Records.

L7 issues its roadwork on ``Live -- Omaha to Osaka''(Man's Ruin). A collection of live recordings from the BBC is the subject of the four-disc XTC box, ``Transistor Blast'' (TVT).

New soundtracks are also out to accompany the glut of holiday films. Among them, ``Mighty Joe Young'' (Hollywood), ``The Parent Trap'' (Hollywood), ``Down in the Delta''(Virgin) and the latest from Troma, ``Decampitated''(Clue Factory/Oglio), with contributions from Hatebreed, Strife and H20 among others.